Monster ~a.b

forty-four

2 weeks later:

Austin was busy today, leaving me to roam around his empty house. I never really paid attention to how he lived. He was a simple man, but with great taste. After the break in a while back I thought to find myself better places to go to. I know that seems weird and traumatic but it's the best I got. I walked down the long hallway that lead to his office, admiring the art work on his walls. I found out he wrote in a journal, he talked about me from the first night we met. I dare to not read anymore. I don't want to take all his personal life treasures. But the walls were my main focus.  They were simple black and white paintings, some were asthetics of cities, others were simple meadows with dark skies but one caught my eye. This framed photo wasnt ordinary for him to have but it was appealing to the eye. It was a shadow of a female, reading.

Another one next to it was another female, this time it was just a silhouette of what I presumed was a naked women

I leaned in, taking a better glance and noticing that the photo was taken in Austin's bedroom. I stepped back, biting my nail as I glanced between the two frames. Who the hell was this? How was I supposed to look at this? Should I be jealous? Should I call him and question it? But most importantly, why the hell havent I noticed them before? I shook off my thoughts and walked into his office, a place I never was "allowed" in unless he allows it because in there were times of business and never pleasure. The room was big and not like the rest of his dark asthetic home. It had light coming from the sunset outside, leaving his walls a light pink color. Inside there, there were more frames of the same women.

Dont get me wrong, the pictures were beautiful. I just had so many questions. I know in our talks Austin told me he loved taking photos when he was younger, maybe they were Exs of his. I walked over to his desk and sat at his chair, smiling at the frames on his desk. Picking the one up  of him and I back in Miami. When we first had our special times together. I think this one was our first drunk outing. Katie must have taken it.

I set the picture down and decided that snooping wasnt a good idea and left his office. Once downstairs I noticed out of the kitchen window he was pulling up into the drive. Do I ask him about the pictures? Do I settle for the best answer when he tells me not to worry about it? As he walked in he gave me a smile and hung up his coat.

"I give the cold about another week and and we'll be in spring. I cant fucking wait". He chuckled and walked over to me, pecking my lips. I sat up on the seat in the island and put my hands under my chin, waiting for him to ask me what was wrong. As if right on que.

"What's wrong princess"? He asked concerned.

I shook my head and got up, taking his hand and walked him down the hallway with me. There, we stopped at the first picture.

"First off, dont get mad but I snooped. Second, how come I've never seen these before"? I giggled.

I noticed how his face got nervous and rubbed this hands on his thighs.

"Um, well they, I took them"? He sounded confused.

"Are they pictures of ex girlfriends"? I asked and he quickly shook his head.

"Growing up". He started and walked us to his office. "I felt the need to always take pictures of my most interesting, intriguing things, and well, those pictures are of. Um, you". He spoke softly.

My eyes widened,  looking at the pictures on the walls and it finally hit me. Why he would always look at his camera, after telling me he wished he could take more. I just didnt know that those pictures would be of me.

"That journal you write in. Is that about me to"? I asked, sitting down on his office chair. He nodded, keeping his back facing me.

"I'm not good with showing my emotions". He started but stopped when his phone rang. "Yeah"? And walked out of his office.

I glanced around the room again, admiring the photos and smiling to myself. He really did love me. I stood up, pushed his chair in and walked out to find him. We needed to start packing for Seattle soon. Liam told me that the ammo that was sold to a guy there was being traded as his own, so harry and Liam are going down to "fix" the problem. Austin came into view as he handed me his laptop and charger.

"Plug this in, sign into my account. Something went wrong". He spoke, still on the phone with whoever.

I sat down, plugged it in and once the screen came up I typed in what was on the sticky note he handed me. Once it loaded a list of instructions popped up from an email, along with dates and a bunch of numbers.

"Each of those are cereal numbers or barcodes that were sold in the past 24 hours. This guy from Seattle is selling our guns under his name to people without licenses. We need to shut him down". Austin spoke as he sat infront of me and started to type away.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing". He spoke to the person on the other line, clearly getting aggravated. "Yes, now please let me do what I do best". And he hit one key on the keyboard, with that all the numbers got deleted and the guys names disappeared.

"There, get the plane ready. Were going to Seattle tonight". And he hung up the phone.

"Go pack light princess. Were going to get our money back". He smiled and grabbed his blood drip from his desk. Placing two drops on his tongue before he practically chased me out of his office.